Historical Archives & Public Figures

Thor Heyerdahl

Norway

1914-10-06 – 2002-04-18 (87 years old)

Legendary Norwegian experimental archaeologist and writer who sailed 8,000 km across the Pacific on the balsa raft Kon-Tiki in 1947 to demonstrate pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact.

Andora, Italy

0 Full Record →

Sciences & Discovery

23

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Cesar Milstein

César Milstein

Argentina

1927 – 2002 (74 years old)

Argentine biochemist who developed hybridoma technology to produce monoclonal antibodies, a revolutionary medical breakthrough awarded the 1984 Nobel Prize in Medicine.

Cambridge, United Kingdom

23 Full Record →

Philosophy & Thought

33

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Hans-Georg Gadamer

Germany

1900 – 2002 (102 years old)

German philosopher whose 1960 masterwork Truth and Method established philosophical hermeneutics, defining human understanding through the 'fusion of horizons' (Horizontverschmelzung) and dialogue.

Heidelberg, Germany

33 Full Record →

Arts & Music

1

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Jean-Paul Riopelle

Canada

1923 – 2002 (78 years old)

Internationally renowned abstract expressionist painter whose vibrant, mosaic-like canvases applied with a palette knife established him alongside Pollock and de Kooning as a titan of post-war art.

Montreal, Canada

1 Full Record →

Politics

0

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Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin

Justin Ahomadegbe-Tometin

Benin

1917-01-16 – 2002-03-08 (85 years old)

A direct descendant of Dahomey's royal dynasty who served as Prime Minister and President of Dahomey, leading the Union Démocratique Dahoméenne (UDD).

Abomey, Benin

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Sports & Athletics

6

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Hocine Soltani

حسين سلطاني

Algeria

1972 – c. March 2002 (29 years old)

Algeria's first and only Olympic boxing gold medalist (Atlanta 1996) and bronze medalist (Barcelona 1992), celebrated as the greatest boxer in Algerian sports history.

Thénia (Boumerdès), Algeria

6 Full Record →

Politics

0

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Jonas Savimbi

Jonas Malheiro Savimbi

Angola

1934-08-03 – 2002-02-22 (67 years old)

Charismatic and controversial Angolan guerrilla strategist and political scientist who founded UNITA, fought Portuguese colonial rule, and waged a 27-year civil war.

Andulo, Angola

0 Full Record →

History

0

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Geneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz

France

1920 – 2002 (81 years old)

Niece of General Charles de Gaulle, heroic resistance courier, and survivor of Ravensbrück concentration camp who served 34 years as President of ATD Quart Monde fighting extreme poverty, inducted into the Panthéon.

Bossey (Haute-Savoie), France

0 Full Record →

Statesmanship & Statesmen

30

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Ong Teng Cheong

王鼎昌

Straits Settlements

1936 – 2002 (66 years old)

First directly elected President of Singapore, architect, and labor movement leader who championed the construction of Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) subway system.

Singapore, Singapore

30 Full Record →

Sports & Athletics

42

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Zizinho

Thomaz Soares da Silva

Brazil

14 September 1921 – 8 February 2002 (80 years old)

Thomaz Soares da Silva, celebrated as Zizinho or 'Mestre Ziza', was the preeminent Brazilian football idol of the 1940s and 1950s, universally cited by Pelé as his childhood inspiration and the greatest player he ever saw. Renowned for his exquisite passing, two-footed dribbling, and tactical mastery, he was voted the Best Player of the 1950 World Cup.

Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

42 Full Record →

Literature & Poetry

2

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Astrid Lindgren

Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren

Sweden

1907-11-14 – 2002-01-28 (94 years old)

World-renowned Swedish author whose beloved creations, including 'Pippi Longstocking', 'Ronia the Robber's Daughter', and 'The Brothers Lionheart', sold over 165 million copies in 100 languages.

Vimmerby, Sweden

2 Full Record →

Art

0

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Peter Gzowski

Captain Highliner

Canada

13 July 1934 – 24 January 2002 (67 years old)

Cherished Canadian radio broadcaster and writer whose intimate, conversational style on CBC Morningside united Canadians coast to coast to coast.

Sutton, Canada

0 Full Record →

Sports & Athletics

31

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Vava

Edvaldo Izidio Neto

Brazil

1934 – 2002 (67 years old)

Two-time FIFA World Cup champion striker 'Peito de Aco' (Steel Chest) who scored in two different World Cup finals (1958 and 1962), a feat shared only with Pele, Paul Breitner, Zinedine Zidane, and Kylian Mbappe.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

31 Full Record →

Arts & Music

4

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Mohamed Zourbat (Maâlem Sam)

محمد زرباط المعلم سام

Morocco

c. 1930 – 2002 (72 years old)

Revered Gnawa master of Casablanca whose lightning-fast guembri ornamentation and mastery of the 240 sacred liturgical songs influenced the modern urban Gnawa revival.

Casablanca, Morocco

4 Full Record →

Literature & Poetry

31

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Léopold Sédar Senghor

Senegal

1906 – 2001 (95 years old)

Senegalese poet, philosopher, statesman, and first President of Senegal who co-founded the Négritude movement and became the first African elected to the Académie Française.

Dakar, Senegal

31 Full Record →

Politics

3

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Jellouli Fares

الجلولي فارس

Tunisia

1909 – 2001 (92 years old)

Historic nationalist leader from Gabès who presided over the National Constituent Assembly that abolished the monarchy, proclaimed the Republic of Tunisia, and enacted the 1959 Constitution.

Tunis, Tunisia

3 Full Record →

Literature & Poetry

1

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Mongo Beti

Alexandre Biyidi Awala

Cameroon

1932-06-30 – 2001-10-07 (69 years old)

One of Africa's most fearless and influential novelists whose anti-colonial masterpieces 'The Poor Christ of Bomba' and 'Mission to Kala' fiercely challenged both imperialism and neocolonial regimes.

Akometam, Cameroon

1 Full Record →